Xbox Series X|S Braves Recent History to Hit Sales Numbers That Dwarf the Xbox One in Japan

Xbox Series X and S consoles are Microsoft’s attempts at conquering the next-generation spectrum. While the Series S console is more of a budget-friendly option, the Series X console is the real deal and a fierce competitor of Sony’s PlayStation 5. However, Xbox as a console brand never made it in terms of popularity in some regions, especially Japan.

With Sony and Nintendo bottlenecking Xbox’s sales in Japan, there’s only little that Microsoft can do to fix the situation. In order to defend itself in the Japanese competition, Microsoft tried a lot of marketing techniques. For example, they once paid a bunch of game developers to make more Xbox exclusives that intrigue the Japanese audience. However, nothing seemed to work out.

Even though Xbox has always done incredibly well in the US, the brand is still trying to establish itself in South Asian regions. Nevertheless, Microsoft has reportedly managed to cross a considerable milestone in terms of Xbox Series X|S sales in Japan. Are things getting better? This, only time can tell.

Xbox sales crosses 250K in Japan

Microsoft’s struggle in Japan is well-known, but it isn’t easy to pinpoint an exact reason behind the same. Most would attribute the situation to Nintendo and Sony being Japan-rooted. However, much of it seems to be undefinable as Japanese fans continue to overlook Xbox’s potential even after so many tries.

READ MORE: Even When Put Together, PlayStation and Xbox Series X|S Fall Prey to Nintendo Switch’s Sales Dominance

With that being said, things have reportedly taken a turn for the best.

A report from Benji-Sales, a notable data, and sales analyst sheds light on Xbox Series X|S sales in the Japanese market. As it happens, Series X and S consoles have managed to cross the notable milestone of 250,000 unit sales since launch. The total unit sales for Xbox Series consoles stand at 260,504 in Japan since 2020.

Benji-Sales also applauds Xbox Series X and S consoles for doing relatively and astonishingly well in weekly sales this year.

Although the numbers are nowhere near PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch, it is still a huge feat for the Xbox family. Considering Xbox’s disappointing performance in Japan over the last two decades, the surge in sales is indeed very welcoming.

What does this mean for Xbox’s situation in Japan?

According to a Kotaku report from March 2022, Xbox has only managed to sell a total of 2.3 million times in Japan over a course of 20 years. In fact, the brand’s last-generation product, Xbox One, sold only about 114,000 times in its lifetime in Japan. However, things have definitely started to look better with Series X|S gaining reputation.

Nintendo has reportedly been suffering a production crisis due to a supply shortage in Japan. Following the same, the company endured a 33% decrease in Switch sales last quarter. In fact, in the second week of May this year, Xbox had reportedly surpassed PlayStation in weekly sales for the first time in 8 years.

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Although a bit far-fetched, this could be Xbox’s chance at gaining momentum in the Japanese market.